Friday, May 2, 2008
People ride bicycles for all sorts of reasons, from better health to saving money on fuel. Additionally, bicycling helps the environment, allows you to escape from the endlessly clogged freeways of America, and is a lot of fun!
ECONOMICALY CHEAP
* According to the Surgeon General, approximately 300,000 U.S. deaths a year currently are associated with being obese or overweight. This compares to 400,000 deaths a year associated with cigarette smoking. In 2002, obesity-related medical care spending accounted for 11.6 percent of all private health care spending, compared to just 2 percent in 1987, concludes Health Affairs.
* Bicycles cost far less than automobiles to purchase and maintain, and do not require a continual intake of increasingly expensive gasoline. Between six and twenty bicycles can be parked in the space a motor vehicle requires for parking. Bicycles also cause little, if any, wear and tear on roadways.
* According to the National Sporting Goods Association, consumers bought 18.5 million bicycles in 2003.
Constituency:
* Americans of all ages and backgrounds enjoy bicycling. Some 42.5 million Americans ride bicycles, according to the National Sporting Goods Association’s 2000 study. This is more than the numbers that participate in other leading sports (29.4 million basketball players, 27.5 million golfers, 22.5 million runners, 13.2 million soccer players, 11.2 million tennis players, and 7.7 million downhill skiers).
* Some 300,000 Americans are members of bicycling clubs and organizations affiliated with the League of American Bicyclists.
* Bicycling magazine, the world’s largest cycling publication, has a total audience of 2.6 million readers (2005 Spring MRI) and average total circulation of 400,000.
* Bicycle Retailer and Industry News estimates that in 2004 18.3 million bicycles were sold in the United States. They also estimate that there are approximately 4,900 bicycle retailers in the United States.
BEST FOR ENVIRONMENT
Motor vehicle emissions represent 31 percent of total carbon dioxide, 81 percent of carbon monoxide, and 49 percent of nitrogen oxides released in the U.S. (The Green Commuter, a publication of the Clean Air Council). A short, four-mile round trip by bicycle keeps about 15 pounds of pollutants out of the air we breathe. (WorldWatch Institute).
According to the Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey, 25 percent of all trips are made within a mile of the home, 40 percent of all trips are within two miles of the home, and 50 percent of the working population commutes five miles or less to work. Yet more than 82 percent of trips five miles or less are made by personal motor vehicle.
60 percent of the pollution created by automobile emissions happens in the first few minutes of operation, before pollution control devices can work effectively. Since "cold starts" create high levels of emissions, shorter car trips are more polluting on a per-mile basis than longer trips.
Michael Oppenheimer, the chief scientist at Environmental Defense, said, "If you reduced carbon dioxide, you'd begin to get rid of most of the stuff that causes these everyday respiratory problems. You'd start to get rid of the nitrogen oxides, which lead to the generation of smog. You'd start to get rid of sulfur dioxide, which leads not only to acid rain but to the tiny particles that people breathe, and which cause respiratory and cardiovascular problems."
A Rodale Press survey found that Americans want to have the opportunity to bike to work instead of driving, with 40 percent of those surveyed saying they would commute by bike if safe facilities were available.
According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) October 2000 Omnibus Household Survey, 41.3 million Americans (20.0 percent) used a bicycle for transportation in the 30 days measured in the survey. Bicycling is the second most preferred form of transportation after the automobile, ahead of public transportation. More than 9.2 million (22.3 percent) of the 41.3 million people who bicycled did so more than ten of the 30 days.
Several findings from the BTS study indicate a growing concern among Americans with the impact of transportation choices on quality of life—and a willingness to consider bicycling as part of the solution. Half of all Americans (99.0 million people) believe that cars, SUVs, pickups, and vans are the primary cause of air pollution in their communities and 65 percent (135.4 million) are concerned about the level of traffic congestion on the roads in their communities. (They have a right to feel this way: Americans spend 75 minutes a day in their car.) Some 79.1 million (38 percent) of all Americans feel that the availability of bikeways, walking paths, and sidewalks for getting to work, shopping, and recreation is very important in choosing where to live.
Motor vehicle emissions represent 31 percent of total carbon dioxide, 81 percent of carbon monoxide, and 49 percent of nitrogen oxides released in the U.S. (The Green Commuter, a publication of the Clean Air Council). Short car trips (over distances that could easily be bicycled) are much more polluting than longer trips on a per-mile basis because 60 percent of the pollution resulting from auto emissions is released during the first few minutes of operation of a vehicle.
A few bike parking vs. car parking statistics:
Number of bikes that can be parked in one car parking space in a paved lot: 6 – 20.
Number of racks for bicycle parking in Seattle: 1,900.
Estimated cost of constructing one parking space in a paved lot: $2,200.
Estimated cost of constructing one parking space in a garage: $12,500. (for more information click here).
Recreational bike riding is a safe, low-impact, aerobic activity for Americans of all ages. Bike commuting is an ideal solution to the need for moderate physical activity, which can be practiced five times a week. A 130-pound cyclist burns 402 calories while pedaling 14 miles in an hour. A 180-pound cyclist burns 540 calories while pedaling 14 miles in an hour.
Why Ride
* Economics
* Environment
* Your Health
* For the Joy of It
* Transportation
American Bicyclist
Cycling Politics More and more tours are planned to raise funds and awareness
RIDE FOR JOY
Remember the feeling of freedom you felt when you first rode around the block by yourself? Or the joy you experienced when you got the training wheels removed from your bike? Even if you have never ridden a bike before, the League of American Bicylists is here to help you (through our education programs), encourage you (through our tip sheets, magazine, and more) and give you the final push you need to get on your bike and enjoy the freedom of riding.
THANK YOU
ECONOMICALY CHEAP
* According to the Surgeon General, approximately 300,000 U.S. deaths a year currently are associated with being obese or overweight. This compares to 400,000 deaths a year associated with cigarette smoking. In 2002, obesity-related medical care spending accounted for 11.6 percent of all private health care spending, compared to just 2 percent in 1987, concludes Health Affairs.
* Bicycles cost far less than automobiles to purchase and maintain, and do not require a continual intake of increasingly expensive gasoline. Between six and twenty bicycles can be parked in the space a motor vehicle requires for parking. Bicycles also cause little, if any, wear and tear on roadways.
* According to the National Sporting Goods Association, consumers bought 18.5 million bicycles in 2003.
Constituency:
* Americans of all ages and backgrounds enjoy bicycling. Some 42.5 million Americans ride bicycles, according to the National Sporting Goods Association’s 2000 study. This is more than the numbers that participate in other leading sports (29.4 million basketball players, 27.5 million golfers, 22.5 million runners, 13.2 million soccer players, 11.2 million tennis players, and 7.7 million downhill skiers).
* Some 300,000 Americans are members of bicycling clubs and organizations affiliated with the League of American Bicyclists.
* Bicycling magazine, the world’s largest cycling publication, has a total audience of 2.6 million readers (2005 Spring MRI) and average total circulation of 400,000.
* Bicycle Retailer and Industry News estimates that in 2004 18.3 million bicycles were sold in the United States. They also estimate that there are approximately 4,900 bicycle retailers in the United States.
BEST FOR ENVIRONMENT
Motor vehicle emissions represent 31 percent of total carbon dioxide, 81 percent of carbon monoxide, and 49 percent of nitrogen oxides released in the U.S. (The Green Commuter, a publication of the Clean Air Council). A short, four-mile round trip by bicycle keeps about 15 pounds of pollutants out of the air we breathe. (WorldWatch Institute).
According to the Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey, 25 percent of all trips are made within a mile of the home, 40 percent of all trips are within two miles of the home, and 50 percent of the working population commutes five miles or less to work. Yet more than 82 percent of trips five miles or less are made by personal motor vehicle.
60 percent of the pollution created by automobile emissions happens in the first few minutes of operation, before pollution control devices can work effectively. Since "cold starts" create high levels of emissions, shorter car trips are more polluting on a per-mile basis than longer trips.
Michael Oppenheimer, the chief scientist at Environmental Defense, said, "If you reduced carbon dioxide, you'd begin to get rid of most of the stuff that causes these everyday respiratory problems. You'd start to get rid of the nitrogen oxides, which lead to the generation of smog. You'd start to get rid of sulfur dioxide, which leads not only to acid rain but to the tiny particles that people breathe, and which cause respiratory and cardiovascular problems."
A Rodale Press survey found that Americans want to have the opportunity to bike to work instead of driving, with 40 percent of those surveyed saying they would commute by bike if safe facilities were available.
According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) October 2000 Omnibus Household Survey, 41.3 million Americans (20.0 percent) used a bicycle for transportation in the 30 days measured in the survey. Bicycling is the second most preferred form of transportation after the automobile, ahead of public transportation. More than 9.2 million (22.3 percent) of the 41.3 million people who bicycled did so more than ten of the 30 days.
Several findings from the BTS study indicate a growing concern among Americans with the impact of transportation choices on quality of life—and a willingness to consider bicycling as part of the solution. Half of all Americans (99.0 million people) believe that cars, SUVs, pickups, and vans are the primary cause of air pollution in their communities and 65 percent (135.4 million) are concerned about the level of traffic congestion on the roads in their communities. (They have a right to feel this way: Americans spend 75 minutes a day in their car.) Some 79.1 million (38 percent) of all Americans feel that the availability of bikeways, walking paths, and sidewalks for getting to work, shopping, and recreation is very important in choosing where to live.
Motor vehicle emissions represent 31 percent of total carbon dioxide, 81 percent of carbon monoxide, and 49 percent of nitrogen oxides released in the U.S. (The Green Commuter, a publication of the Clean Air Council). Short car trips (over distances that could easily be bicycled) are much more polluting than longer trips on a per-mile basis because 60 percent of the pollution resulting from auto emissions is released during the first few minutes of operation of a vehicle.
A few bike parking vs. car parking statistics:
Number of bikes that can be parked in one car parking space in a paved lot: 6 – 20.
Number of racks for bicycle parking in Seattle: 1,900.
Estimated cost of constructing one parking space in a paved lot: $2,200.
Estimated cost of constructing one parking space in a garage: $12,500. (for more information click here).
Recreational bike riding is a safe, low-impact, aerobic activity for Americans of all ages. Bike commuting is an ideal solution to the need for moderate physical activity, which can be practiced five times a week. A 130-pound cyclist burns 402 calories while pedaling 14 miles in an hour. A 180-pound cyclist burns 540 calories while pedaling 14 miles in an hour.
Why Ride
* Economics
* Environment
* Your Health
* For the Joy of It
* Transportation
American Bicyclist
Cycling Politics More and more tours are planned to raise funds and awareness
RIDE FOR JOY
Remember the feeling of freedom you felt when you first rode around the block by yourself? Or the joy you experienced when you got the training wheels removed from your bike? Even if you have never ridden a bike before, the League of American Bicylists is here to help you (through our education programs), encourage you (through our tip sheets, magazine, and more) and give you the final push you need to get on your bike and enjoy the freedom of riding.
THANK YOU
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